News and Events

MHC engages region in strategic planning process

August 29, 2019

Medicine Hat College (MHC) is launching a ten-year plan for the future by taking a deep look at the nature and needs of the entire region.

Recently installed president, Kevin Shufflebotham, opened the conversation last week by asking college employees to think about the children in their own lives.

“What we want for them is what we want for all our students. If your child or grandchild is in grade two now, we need to be thinking about the day - ten years from now - when they step foot onto our campus,” says Shufflebotham.

“We’re embarking on a process to help us do the right thing for people. Now is our time.”

The strategic planning process will run for six months and include three phases. Phase one asks the question ‘where is the college now?’ within the context of Southeast Alberta. This phase examines the social, technological, economic, environmental and political landscape of the region, and asks stakeholders to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Based on the information collected in phase one, phase two will start in October and explore where the college is going by identifying the top issues and opportunities that MHC must address. The final phase - how are we going to get there? - will define actions and strategies to move MHC forward.

“It is important to note that we are not starting this journey with “us, the college”, but with a better understanding of the needs of the region,” explains Shufflebotham. “The community’s involvement is key to setting the stage for strategic transformation.”

Community members are invited to share their thoughts and ideas and rate the thoughts and ideas of others through the online platform, Thought Exchange, which can be accessed via the website below. They are also encouraged to visit planning rooms located at the Medicine Hat and Brooks campuses to engage in the conversation.